1. |
This Is It!
01:10
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2. |
The Devil In My Ear
03:22
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The Devil in My Ear
(Tani) 2002
There’s a pay phone in the hall
Just like there is on every floor
I hear it ringing through the wall
Then there’s a banging on my door
Somebody yells the call’s for me
And I set down this glass of gin
I’ve got a feeling – Yes siree
Trouble’s calling me again
Ch
She’s pouring honey in my ear
Sweet little lies I love to hear
I’m gonna do things I’ll regret
Gonna give more than I get
And watch my money disappear
My common sense should interfere
But she’s sounding so sincere
I’ll forget what’s right from wrong
When I hear that siren’s song
From the devil in my ear
I check just how much cash I’ve got
To see how much I’m gonna lose
I know it’s all gonna get shot
On shootin’ dice and shots of booze
Why can’t I learn from my mistakes
I’m so sure that I want to
Not when they’re so much fun to make
And I’ve so many left to do
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3. |
Out With The Old
02:46
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Out With the Old
(Tani)
I see my burning bridges
My hand burst into flame
I seek the cool, cool water
As my ship sails out of frame
Our bloody lips. Our bleeding heart
Call out the ghosts by name
And check them off some master list
As my ship sails out of frame
Out with the old –In with the new
Out with the old –In with the new
I press against the window
So my skin can feel the view
Out with the old –In with the new
Crack this lacquer box and breath
The blackened scent of sin
From where we swore we’d never tread
Yet found ourselves within
Our jaundiced eye. Our bitten tongue
The blind. The mute. The lame.
What tortures me now calls to you
As my ship sails out of frame
Chorus
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4. |
The Cheap Seats
04:52
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The Cheap Seats
(Tani)
The profits were up
When they shut this place down
And 200 folks lost their jobs
In this factory town
Now they're makin' it cheaper
And almost as good
In some third world country out there
Than we ever could
--
We ain't in the game
We ain't on a team
We watch from the stands
Our American Dream
--
We're watching it all
from the cheap seats
They sure as hell ain't
luxury suites
The big screen will show
What they want us to know
And no matter who loses they win
No matter who loses they win
–
When the big box appeared
Just outside of town
And within a year most of Main St
was dead and shut down
There were lots of new jobs
The new suburban coal mine
Had us workin full time
Beneath the poverty line
--
We ain't singing the song
Ain't even singing along
This far from the stage you
can't see what's going on
--
We're watching it all
from the cheap seats
They sure as hell ain't
luxury suites
The big screen will show
What they want us to know
And no matter who loses they win
No matter who loses they win
--
BRIDGE
We never needed to be rich
Never thought that we'd be poor
Truth lies somewhere in the middle
But there's no middle here no more
–
SOLO
I asked my old man
When I was a boy
I asked, Dad is our family rich
Or are we poor
He said “Neither, son”
I remember his smile
“We're like every one else in this town
and the middle's just fine”
So, where’d we go wrong
What didn’t we see
It’s Saturday night
In the land of the free
--
We're watching it all
from the cheap seats
They sure as hell ain’t
luxury suites
The big screen will show
What they want us to know
And no matter who loses they win
No matter who loses they win
--
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5. |
Southern Exposure
03:56
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Southern Exposure
(Tani)
Southern exposure. I need closure
I sailed this ship all over the world
From the deck of this bar I roamed near and far
Looking for a place to unfurl
Long summer night. The sun's dim light
Sits low in the northern sky
It streams in the window, warm golden yellow
It's midnight on the fourth of July
Months since I got here. The plan is still unclear
No rudder but I've plenty of sail
The temperature's lonely. It's measured in only
degrees of translucent to pale
I'm dreading the sunset. It looms like an old debt.
I can't avoid and long past due
When night falls the stars rise, and light up the dark skies
But stars just make me think about home -home and you
=====
You were the star to guide me back
But when I scan the evening sky
Where you once were is empty black
And such a lonely fool am I
I'm alright without a home
I'll keep busy -I'll make do
In the day I'm just alone
but at night I'm without you
=====
The sun's my companion. Lighting a canyon -carved
deep by a river of love
Once overflowing, the riverbed's showing -it must
Look pretty sad from above
=====
But I was looking for a place
where the sun never sets,
so I'd never have to face
Another night with my regrets
I'm alright without a home
I stay busy -I'll get through
In the day I'm just alone
but at night I'm without you
In the day I'm just alone
but at night I'm without you
=====
Southern exposure. I need closure.
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6. |
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Take Me With You When You Go Too Far
(Tani)
I hear you pacing upstairs
Every night until dawn
Dragging your baggage around
Making your plans to move on
I’ve seen you try it before
But it’s yet to work out
Every road leads somewhere
You haven't found the right route
I watched you soar too high -I saw you plunge too deep
I saw you burn too hot, shine too bright -and sell too cheap
I don't care where you're bound
I need to cover some ground
My bag is packed in your car
Take me with you when you go too far
Take me with you when you go too far
Love is risking it all
Skating out to the edge
I just bleed on the keys
While you stand on the ledge
I want to take that chance
Of going over the falls
This town just blackens the page
While the white water calls
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7. |
Radio City
04:14
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Radio City
(Tani)
This really is nowhere
There’s a red dirt scratch up the mountainside
8 miles long and one car wide
My old Buick at the top
In a gravel parking lot
There’s a 50-foot trailer and a hundred foot mast
A 50 thousand watt clear channel blast
Across six western states
I’m a voice without a face
Graveyard shift –Midnight to six
All night drivers and urban hicks
I’m pullin’ down the feed
But I’m burying the lead
Out in the distance I can see the lights
Dotting the horizon on the clear nights
Are you listening?
We’re taking calls
This is Radio City
Top of the hour –it’s the Lovers Line
But no caller’s had a heart as broke as mine
I whisper in your ear
As if only you can hear
I say things I should have said
I go where I feared to tread
But I know that it’s too late
To negotiate
Out in the distance I can see the lights
Dotting the horizon on the clear nights
Are you listening?
We’re taking calls
This is Radio City
I was a fool to flee from love
Don’t know what I was scared of
Look at where I am
This really is nowhere
A million words won’t win you back
A million tears have turned my heart black
Still the words leak from my pen
And the tears start up again
Out in the distance I can see the lights
Dotting the horizon on the clear nights
I hope you’re listening
I wish you’d call
This is Radio City
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8. |
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How Deep Is The Water In Your Well?
(Tani)
How deep is the water in your well
How deep is the water in your well
You can see your reflection
but that’s no way to tell
How deep is the water in your well
I was born-next to a mighty-rolling river
That flowed-from the mountain-to the sea
Fertile and green
Was all I’d ever seen
So the beauty of the land was lost on me
so like many a young man I wandered
To see the world beyond the one I had known
My eyes were opened wide
By the things I saw outside
As I walked this lonely earth on my own
————-
How deep is the water in your well
How deep is the water in your well
You can see your reflection
but that’s no way to tell
How deep is the water in your well
I roamed where the wild winds would take me
and found myself in a desert dry and cracked
I came across a spring
And cupped my hands to drink
But I found the water bitter and black
Then I met a man who offered me water
From a well he dug himself upon his land
He said that it was pure
he said it was a cure
but his water was no better than the sand
CHORUS
————-
IS THERE ENOUGH Water -To satisfy your thirst?
IS THERE ENOUGH Water -when the clouds won’t seem to burst
IS THERE ENOUGH Water -To grow your children strong
Is there enough water there for when the drought goes on too long
IS THERE ENOUGH Water -To wash your hands clean?
IS THERE ENOUGH Water -to sustain a garden green
IS THERE ENOUGH Water -When you're nowhere near the shore
Is there enough water there to share with a stranger at your door
CHORUS
Sometimes I miss my home but I’ve found water
It’s fresh and sweet and cool upon my tongue
It bubbles from the ground
and flows the full year round
It’s clean and clear just like when I was young
How sweet is the water in your well
How pure is the water in your well
You can see your reflection but that’s no way to tell
How deep is the water in your well
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9. |
Bad Boy
03:37
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Bad Boy
(Tani)
Bad boy. Bad boy do me good.
Bad boy. Bad boy do me good.
I need someone that can
do me like a bad man would
I took 2 hours getting dressed so I’d be ready on time
Now I’ve been waiting on the porch 2 hours while my blood pressure climbs
Every time I hear that clock on the wall chime
Ch
He finally gets around to callin’ sayin’ that he’s runnin’ late
Seems he and his buddy got stopped on the interstate
He only gets one call so our date will have to wait
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10. |
Wash Your Hands
05:13
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Wash Your Hands
(Tani)
Has it been a hard day honey?
Yeah, I’ve had one too.
I just got in the door,
Not ten minutes before you.
Go wash your hands now baby.
Supper is gonna be a while
I’ve spent all day just thinkin’
No, -make that “missin’” you
How I think we’ve found in each other
A love that’s strong and true
Go wash your hands now baby
Supper is gonna be a while
Bridge 1
I got you something special
To show you that I care
Just give me a couple of minutes baby
Then you can come upstairs
Find some quiet music
On the clock radio
Pour us a couple of glasses of wine
And turn the lights down low
Bridge 2
Josephine had Napoleon
Juliet had Romeo
Cleopatra had Marc Antony
Bonnie had her Clyde Barrow
And we have each other
A little nation of two
Undivided –forever united
Just me and you
Has it been a hard day honey?
Yeah, I’ve had one too.
I just got in the door,
Not ten minutes before you.
Go wash your hands now baby.
Supper is gonna be a while
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11. |
Color Me Gone
04:07
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Color Me Gone
(Tani)
Take the key to my apartment
- There’s a week left on the rent
The cash that I poured in that pit
- Could not have been worse spent
Take the stereo and records
There’s a the brand new tv set
Take it all for all I care
The hell out is what I get
Chorus
Color me gone – I’m movin’ on
Into the night –Gonna drive ‘til dawn.
I’ve spent my time –I’m overdrawn
I’m in the red –Color me gone
Verse 2
There’s coffee in the cupboard
The fridge still has some beer
If I can’t fit it in the trunk
Well, then it is staying here
There’s two rooms full of memories
But nothing I hold dear
Anything I’ve left is yours
Cuz I’m so out of here
Verse 3
The road tonight is quiet
The horizon beckons me
Two lanes of lonely black top
As far as I can see
There’s a point out in the distance
That’s where I’m headed to
Doesn’t matter where it is
The change is overdue
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12. |
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(Everybody’s Got) Something to Hide
(Tani)
Don’t ask me no questions
Don’t tell me no lies
Don’t give me that look with
Those big brown eyes
Let’s keep it all friendly
And enjoy the ride
If I slip let it slide
Everybody’s got something to hide
Stay away from that window
Don’t open those blinds
I’ll leave by the back door
Meet me round behind
Keep it down when you’re leavin’
Everything’ll be fine
Loose lips sink ships
Everybody’s got something to hide
My bio’s been retracted
My resume’s redacted
As a matter of fact it’s
All one big lie (All been denied)
Don’t ask me no questions
Don’t tell me no lies
Don’t give me that look with
Those big brown eyes
Keep it down when you’re leavin’
For the promised land
The men don’t know
what the little girls understand
Loose lips sink ships
Everybody’s got something to hide
Keep the cat in the bag
Everybody’s got something to hide
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13. |
Suffer
04:40
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Suffer
(Tani)
We were barely in the foothills
The grade was long and slow
The mountains towered in the distance
But our eyes were on the road
As our lips met that first time
I felt your fingers at my side
gently tracing the space between ribs number 4 & 5
As the road climbed ever higher
I caught a glimpse of gleaming steel
Mountains towering around us
I kept my hands upon the wheel
With your lips on my neck
I felt the tip on my side
gently tracing the space between ribs number 4 & 5
Then you slipped your dagger in
smoothly deep into my side
twisting it so slowly
as we crossed the Great Divide
I know you didn’t want to kill me
You could have made this so much tougher
No, You’d never want to kill me
you just want to make me suffer
I suffer with desire
I suffer in the heat
The first pin prick -the needle stick.
The lover’s prime conceit
Drip by drip -and sip by sip
Each heart shaped drop of blood so bitter sweet
No, I don’t want you to kill me
I just want you to make me suffer
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14. |
New Dress
05:11
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New Dress
(Tani)
It was a new day - at the edge of town
I pulled up to the sign by the light of the rising sun
And with a new brush and some old paint
I lowered the population here by one
Chorus
I’m painting my new dress red
As dark as the color of blood in the pale moonlight
My new dress is red -tonight -tonight
I’d painted myself - into a corner
There was nowhere to go in that town of brown & grey
Now I’m sketching - my horizon
It’s wide and it’s straight and it never fades away
Chorus
It’s a still night –in a still life
I’m cleaning my brushes in a bucket of kerosene
It’s a new day –in a new town
A match in the bucket and I have my slate wiped clean
Chorus
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15. |
This Record Sucks
03:00
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This Record Sucks
(Tani)
Spoken:
So I’m just sitting at the bar. Minding my own business. Enjoying a little peace and quiet, when I hear a couple of quarters rattle their way down the coin slot of the jukebox. –Two buttons pressed. A couple of clicks. The needle hits the groove….
Oh! I love this tune
Though I haven’t heard it in a blue moon
It used to be our special song
When our lovin’ was so strong
It started out so right. Yeah!
How could it go so wrong?
Now they’re comin’ back to me
The reasons why we couldn’t be
The weekly fights we’d have each day
The silent nights –That divorcee
And this stupid song behind it all
Man! This record sucks!
Chorus:
Man! This record sucks
What did I ever see in you?
This song just makes me think
Of all you put me through
This record sucks. This record sucks. This record sucks.
Solos
Now that tune’s stuck in my head
Just when I thought that our love was dead
Out of mind and out of view
This song was done and we were through
Hey, I’m so over it. Yeah!
Why aren’t I over you?
Chorus
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Maurice Tani San Francisco, California
Maurice Tani is a "supercalifornigraphic" singer-songwriter known for his wry/rye-to-romantic songwriting, agile guitar style and expressive singing. His band, Maurice Tani & 77 El Deora has been the source of untold, but exquisite suffering for over 20 years. Tani now has 8 albums to his credit. The latest is “All In!” recorded at Greaseland USA with an all-star cast of Little Village artists. ... more
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